Pure Love
by Kel425
Summary: Bella moves to the town of Forks, and she meets a mysterious family, the Cullens. The Cullen family owns a kosher meat shop, and they seem normal enough to everyone else. But Bella suspects something about them...what will she discover?
1. Fresh Meat

Thump. My book bag made that sound when I let it drop to the door. I stood next to the front door, trying to soothe my anger._ "Calm down, Bella. No need to stress Charlie out over trivial matters, at least not something as trivial as boys." _ Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I became aware of the din coming from the living room. Charlie was watching TV again, as he usually did when he returned home from work. I smiled as I heard the couch complain underneath his weight, squeaking as his oversized feet touched the floor. My grin faded as I heard the heavy tread of his footsteps, listening to the way that they dragged on the floor. I knew right away that he must have had a long day at work. I was going to do my best to make the remaining hours pleasant.

Charlie came around the corner, his hair standing up as if he had been running his fingers through it. Though he was exhausted, his brown eyes still managed to twinkle. That never failed to bring a smile to my face, even if I had had a bad day.

"Hey Bells, how was school?"

"Umm…the usual. Lots of homework and terrible lunch food. Not to mention some over-zealous friends."

"Ah, so, the boys are irritating you that badly?"

I grimaced. "Am I so easy to read?"

Charlie managed a small smile. "No, but Mrs. Newton is. She told me everything, including all the rivals that Mike has at school."

"Great. I didn't know there was more than one hormonal teenage boy that I have to deal with."

Charlie hesitated, then spoke: "So…are you interested in any of these boys? I mean, if you are, you know I would be ok with it. Yeah…"

"You mean you would be ok with it, after you performed a background check, right?" The way Charlie scuffed his feet on the floor, I knew I had hit home." Well you don't have anything to worry about, because no one has caught my eye."

He pointed a finger at me."Yet. Uh, so how about some dinner? I'm really hungry. There is some meat in the freezer…"

Standing up straight and saluting him, I said: "Yes sir! Deputy Bella reporting for duty! Now go finish watching your game…you and I both know that there is no place for you in the kitchen."

It took me longer than usual to cook supper. I was having trouble getting the meat to fully cook, but then I realized it was meant to _not_ be cooked all the way. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I slapped it onto the plate, and watched the blood stream out in tiny rivulets from the crimson meat. I decided to separate the baked potato, as to not ruin it by the bloody pool that had gathered. Charlie raised an eyebrow when I sat down with only a baked potato on my plate.

He cleared his throat, then said: "Bella? You haven't gone vegetarian on me have you?"

"No…I just can't eat bloody meat. It makes me sick. I only eat kosher meat now."

"Oh. Well, that is going to a problem. This steak here is the only kind that I ever get, ever eat, and the only kind in the freezer. I guess I could throw it away…"

"No, Dad. You don't have to do that. I can go to the store and get some kosher meat, usually every grocery store has some, even if it is Forks.

"Well, yeah, I guess. The store is nearly thirty minutes away, but we do have a kosher shop here in town."

I dropped my fork. "What? A…kosher…? I mean, I haven't been here in a while, but…I don't remember that. I don't understand."

Charlie smiled at my confusion. "They have only been here about three years… the Cullens."

I blinked. "Who?"

"Just some Jewish family that came down California, but they are really great people. They stick to themselves and never bother anyone."

"Wow. I wouldn't think that they would want move to somewhere…so isolated. Business must be slow."

"Actually, they do get a lot of business. They are…very attractive people. They didn't even have to introduce themselves to anyone, their faces did all the advertising. As far as why they moved down here…Mr. Cullen said everyone was getting into this scientology stuff. You know…placenta eating and everything."

My stomach flipped several times. "Oh, ew. I guess that makes sense. Do they go to school?"

"Yeah, they do. I'm surprised you haven't seen them before. Like I said, they would definitely stand out."

"Strange. Hmmm." Still baffled, I started to gather up the dishes. "Well, I think I am going to call it a night…I've got to catch up on some homework."

Charlie scraped his chair against the floor as he stood up. "Uh…do you want me to help you with those?" He looked pretty helpless as he stood there.

"No, Dad. I'm pretty sure I can manage by myself."

"I was hoping you would say that…there is another game coming on…now, actually. So…I'll see you tomorrow. Night, Bells." He clapped me on the shoulder as he walked by.

I smiled and said: "Night, Dad. Get some sleep." Now it was my turn to drag my feet, they made a thumping sound as I went up the stairs. I decided I would go to school early and do my homework, because I just wanted to sleep and forget about everything. I kicked off my shoes and curled up into a ball, and let the waves of warmth wash over me as I drifted into a slumber.


	2. Fresh Meat Part 2

The light peeping in through my lavender curtains woke me up, I had always been a light sleeper. My ponytail was tugging at my scalp, I yanked it out and released the loose ringlets of my hair. Sighing, I glanced at the clock, it was time to get up. I threw back the covers reluctantly, not wanting to emerge into the frigid air. The wood floor was cold beneath my feet as I headed towards the bathroom, I was definitely looking forward to a steaming hot shower.

I skipped down the stairs, now thoroughly woken up by the cold air. While I was grabbing a granola bar, I noticed a note on the table. It read: "_Bella, I left money on the table for you to buy some meat. Have a good day at school." _God bless Charlie. I was really looking forward to good meat. The sooner I got to school, the sooner it would be over. The sooner I got my meat.

I was laboring through my calculus when a shadow loomed over my book, and I glanced up quizzically. Mike was staring down at me, fiddling with the pocket of his pants.

"Hey, Bella! What are you doing here so early?"

"I had to do my calculus problems, I didn't do them last night. I'm on the last one, but it is giving me a hard time."

Mike stepped a little closer. "I am pretty good at math, I could help you if you wanted." I noticed the hopeful look in his eye, and I mentally kicked myself for coming early. There was no way I was going to pass up free help, period. Even if it was Mike. Sighing, I resigned.

"Alright, but only because I'm going to be late to class." Mike walked me to class after he had finished the problem, and I only agreed because we had class in the same building. I decided to take advantage of the awkward silence to ask him a question: "I heard that there was a kosher meat shop somewhere nearby, do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, you must be talking about Cullens' Cutlery. It's a pretty nice place."

"Have you had the meat from there before? I was thinking about picking some up."

"No, I'm not really into that kosher stuff. I didn't know you were either. Hmm. I can call my mom…"

"That would be great, but I don't want you to trouble yourself."

Mike gave a too enthusiastic smile. "I don't mind, Bella. Anything for you." He glanced at his watch, and smile vanished. "Oh, shoot. I'm going to be late for class. See you at lunch, Bella." I half-heartedly waved goodbye. I was going to have do something about him, the situation was getting out of hand. I mentally prepared myself for another long morning, looking forward to the lunch break.

_"Ahhh lunch, finally."_ My reverie was broken when I heard a voice shout behind me:

"Bella!" I already knew who it was before I looked. Mike was walking toward me, with a slight flush in his cheeks. "I called my mom, but apparently she has never gotten the meat from there. I guess she just goes there to talk…she seems to like them a lot. I'm sorry." Mike looked down at his feet.

"Um…I don't mind. See you around." I felt a twinge or regret as I turned my back on his hurt face. I flopped down in my seat next to Angela, ignoring the wary looks that the people gave around me.

"Hey, Bella. What's the matter?" Sometimes I felt that Charlie lied to me when he said I wasn't very readable.

"It's Mike again. He won't leave me alone." I bit my lip."And I have to go shopping today, for kosher meat. It's ridiculous as it sounds. I can't find anyone that's actually gotten meat from there."

Angela looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry about Mike. As far as the meat shopping…I think can help you with that. I sort of know the Cullen family, and I'm sure they will help you. They are very nice."

Grumbling, I answered: "So I've been told, but that's it. Who are they and why haven't I seen them before? I am usually a very observant person."

"Well, I think that they went on vacation for a few weeks. They do it every month, they are just gone one day and they come back in about three weeks."

I pursed my lips. "Do you know when they will come back?"

"Actually they came back today. Behind you, table to the right against the wall."

Trying to casually glance over my shoulder, I saw in my peripheral vision five people sitting at a table. Not quite brave enough to risk a glance, I turned back around. "Do they always sit there? I feel like...I don't know. They give me a funny feeling."

"Yeah, they always sit there. I know what you mean by feeling weird around them. Normal people stay away from them. I only talk to Alice because she's nice, and I sit next to her in one of my classes. Jasper is Alice's boyfriend, and he never talks. Rosalie seems to be a little stuck up, so her and her boyfriend Emmet don't bother with anyone. Then Edward...is just, Edward. He-"

I looked up at Angela to see why she stopped talking. I saw her stiffen, and quickly look away quickly.

"Angela…?"

"Edward is staring at us. He has been since you sat down. Wait..he is getting up, uhh, I think he's coming over here!" Angela quickly busied herself in the chemistry book lying on her lap. She innocently looked up as a shadow engulfed me. Not just a regular shadow, but also a _huge _shadow. Not like Mike's shadow. The dark shape spoke, it had a very attractive voice. It was almost as if he was sing talking, but it sounded _amazing!_

"Oh, h-hello Edward. What do you need?"

I could hear the smile in his voice. " Hello, Angela. I overheard you and your friend talking about our shop. I am not going to say that our meat is excellent, the best kosher meat, for two reasons: It would be biased of me to say so, and secondly I have never actually sampled it. I can offer you a pamphlet, however, if you think that would satiate your curiosity. I recommend that if any person does have an interest, the best course of action would be to come by and see for themselves. We offer free samples to ensure the highest satisfaction of our customers, and the quality of our day." _Holy crap. The big shadow could talk fancy._

"Angela? Was that _him?"_

She looked a little dazed. "Um, yes, that was Edward Cullen. Here's your pamphlet. Like I was saying earlier, he's just one of the Cullens. That is all usually anyone cares to know about him. I wonder how knew what we were talking about…" I turned slightly to peek over my shoulder, and I noticed that he was still gazing in our direction. I blushed, and I quickly turned back around. _How strange._ I knew I wasn't just looking forward to getting some _clean _meat, but finding out who that big shadow was. I wanted to know how he heard me, I wanted to know why he was still staring at me. I wanted to hear his voice again, the one that sang it's musical tones to me. I wanted his meat.


	3. The Cutlery

I sat in my truck, reluctant to take the keys out of the ignition. I let the truck idle for a few minutes, while reviewing today's events repeatedly in my head. Edward Cullen had certainly made an impression upon me, though I hadn't even seen his face. I wasn't a difficult person to please, but definitely not an easy person to win over. It didn't make any sense how a _shadow_could overwhelm me, and it not in the sense of it being larger than my petite frame. I glanced in my rearview mirror, observing the sign "Cullens' Cutlery." It was a win-lose situation, and I was determined to win. If I went in, I would get my meat _and_get an eyeful of the so-called Jewish family. On the other hand, if I chickened out, no meat and no Cullens. No meat meant a hungry Charlie, and no Cullen meant a disappointed Bella. I wasn't going to let my fear conquer me. No way. I yanked me keys out of the ignition, and jumped out my truck. Ignoring the flecks of rust that were bouncing off my skin, I began to stride towards my destination.

After making my way safely across the street, I surveyed the outside of the building. It looked harmless enough on the outside. It matched the rest of the town, the same reddish brown brick, even complete with the puddle in front of the door. _Here goes nothing._I grabbed the handle of the door, and entered into the shop. I was shocked by what I saw. It was as if I had stepped into an old-fashioned butchery, the kind that was also complete with a candy store and bakery shop. The walls were a very light of shade of rose, with white tile covering the countertop and floor. The glass display case adjoining the counter had soft under lighting, illuminating the delicious looking scones and strudels. It even had a barber's pole. I stepped my carefully way around the ominous racks of candy, and made my way to the register. I was amazed at how _clean_, how white, and how dainty everything looked. The opposite of what I thought I thought a butcher shop would look like, even a kosher one. I fingered the silver bell, and gave it a timid tap. The sound was loud, and it made me jump as it rang through the empty shop. I felt a faint prickling on my neck, the same feeling I had earlier in the cafeteria. I began to turn when I was startled by a clear voice:

"Hello."

I whipped back around, only to see a short girl standing behind the counter. She was beautiful. She reminded of one of those sleeping angels, though they paled in comparison to her. Her short, spiky, _silky_ hair was neatly flipped up at the ends, exaggerating the defined bones of her face. Her eyes were dark black, contrasting against her snow-white skin. Her eyes conveyed friendliness, a familiarity to me, making it seem as if she already knew me.

"Excuse me, Bella?"

I blinked, surprised that she knew my name. "Uh, what? How did you know my name?"

She smiled, and said: "Everyone knows your name, Bella. Did you forget that we are in a small town?"

"Sometimes I do. I apparently don't know everyone that lives in town. I don't like complete strangers knowing who I am."

"Of course, I am sorry. I don't think I would either. My name is Alice."

I shifted under her expectant gaze. "Er, it's nice to meet you." I held out my hand, but she didn't take it.

"I just finished handling meat. I wouldn't want you to get any blood on your hands." I looked down at her hands, and there wasn't any blood on them.

"Er, right. So…I would like some meat. I was thinking of making hamburgers for supper."

"So am I correct in assuming that you would like them to be made into patties? Edward here could get the meat for you." I froze.

"Edward?" What was she talking about?

"Yes, my brother. He's been in here the whole time, it was his turn to clean all the windows." I gaped as I saw a large boy pass beside me, and disappear into the back. A few seconds later he returned, carrying a large piece of meat. But that wasn't what I was focused on. His face, it was the only thing that I could look at. Unlike his sister, his eyes were a deep golden brown, and they were intently focused on me. They didn't leave mine as he slapped the meat on the counter, still gazing at me as he began to sharpen the knife he had picked up. Only then did his eyes leave mine, as he went to slice the meat in his hands. I was thankful for the relief, for my legs felt as limp as the meat he was cutting up. I looked down at the tile floor, attempting to slow down my breathing. I was alarmed by the sound of crinkling paper, and I looked up. Edward was wrapping the patties, while Alice was cleaning the knife. _How did I miss it? I only looked down for a few seconds! _I watched Edward finish and place the meat next to the register. He slid it all the way across to me, next to my hands. I didn't fail to notice how long and slender his fingers were, I watched them as he trailed them back over the counter. I risked a glance at his eyes while I paid, they were no longer focused on me. I mumbled a quick goodbye, and stumbled my way to the door. Edward's eyes had bewitched me, and I couldn't seem to focus. I realized I had stepped in the puddle next to the door, and I mentally kicked myself. I looked back inside the cutlery, and I thought I saw a smile upon Edward's face as he looked at me. He was _laughing_ at me! Irritated, I stepped out of the puddle and wrung my jeans out. When I looked up again, he was gone.

On they way home, I had officially decided that I was going to figure the Cullen family out. At least the part that I had met. I didn't understand them, not only as people, but why they would come here. And why did Alice lie to me about the blood on her hands? Clearly there was nothing on them. And why did they say that they were Jewish, when Alice and Edward didn't even look it. Their pale-white skin stood out like a sore thumb. My family wasn't a very religious family, but even Charlie had a cross in his room. I wouldn't dare call my dad a devout catholic either. I didn't recognize any mark, symbol, or text that represented their faith. Would they lie about that? I was going to find out, and nothing was going to stop me.


	4. Food Poisoning

I pulled my truck into the driveway, expecting to find it vacant. I was surprised when I saw Charlie's cruiser parked on the side of the street. He wasn't in his usual spot, so I knew that he didn't plan to stay long. Charlie never broke his routine unless something bad had happened. I jumped out of my truck and ran into the house.

"Charlie? Dad?" I ran around into the kitchen, and nearly slammed into him. No doubt he had heard me come in, considering my loud truck and noisy entrance. Setting me up straight, he said: "What's all this ruckus about?"

"Well, I saw your car parked out front. I was worried because you never come home early.

His face twisted into a grimace. "I guess I deserved that one. I hate leaving you home all the time, Bells. Maybe I should start taking some time off of work."

I did not like the thought of that. "Oh, well I wouldn't want you to miss work for me. I don't know if you noticed or, but policemen are short in abundance around here."

"Well alright, Bells. Don't worry, I won't interfere with your personal time. That isn't the reason why I came home early, just to be early. The station has received several complains from the Quileute reserve nearby…they are claiming that someone keeps killing off their deer. To me it just sounds like someone wants venison for supper, but I guess the Quileutes don't want anyone hunting on their land." He paused, and continued hesitantly: ":Do you remember Billy Black?"

"A little. Didn't I used to play with his son? His name was…Jacob? Why do you ask?"

"He was the one who called me, and since he is a friend of mine, I have an obligation to go check it. If Billy says something is wrong, then I am going to believe him. I'll tell Billy that you remember him, which will make him happy. Do you want me to pass anything along to Jacob?"

"Um, sure. Tell him I said…hi."

Charlie reached over and ruffled my hair. "You always were the talkative one, weren't you? I'm afraid you get that from me."

"That's not so bad, is it?"

He stopped at the front door, and turned around. He had a smile in his eye and on his face. "No, it's not. See you later, Bells." I waved goodbye to Charlie, and watched him walk through the mud in the yard. _I have a great Dad._

I knew that Charlie would probably come home starving, especially after having a long and stressful day. He wouldn't want to eat the meat that I had bought, so I decided to marinade the left over steak we had earlier this week. I was sure he could manage cooking steak in the oven, he just had to heat it up. I didn't want to wait for Charlie to get home, my stomach told me that much, so I started cooking myself supper. I began to chop green peppers and mushrooms, I thought that combined with some meat, it would make a delicious stir-fry. As soon as I pulled out the blood-free meat, memories flood my brain. I envisioned pale white fingers holding the knife, instead of my brown stubby ones. Maybe those fingers would be covering mine, guiding my hand with delicate precision. Perhaps those arms—

_Bella, get a hold of yourself. Keep thinking that like and there won't be any fingers left to cover._ I regretfully left my dream state, and focused on the task at hand. Thinking about the Cullen family, particularly a certain one, would have to wait until tomorrow when my brain and body were not so delusional.

I woke up the in the morning to my alarm obnoxiously beeping, always a part of my daily routine. However this time there was a difference, and it wasn't a subtle one. The sound of the alarm seemed to jab into my skull, and it felt like someone was hitting me in the head repeatedly with a hammer. I sat up in bed, and the waves of nausea instantaneously hit me. I jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom, somehow managing to slip on the wood floor several times. I had barely made it into the bathroom when I retched into the toilet, and continued to vomit the contents of last night's meal. The sour smell of the vomit reached my nostrils, and it only succeeded to make me more light headed. I laid my swimming head on the cool tile floor, hoping it would make me feel better. It didn't. I continued to throw up every hour, and decided that food poisoning was the only thing that was consistent with my routine barfing. I knew I was just going to have to wait it out, there couldn't be much left in my stomach.

The throwing up lasted longer than I had hoped it would, it stopped somewhere around mid-afternoon. Though I stopped barfing, I still didn't want to risk being away from the bathroom. That was where Charlie found me when he came home, apparently mystified as to why I wasn't cooking dinner. He saw me lying on the floor, and he knocked lightly on the door.

"Bells? I take it you didn't go to school today?"

I moaned. "I have poisoning Dad, I think the meat I bought was bad."

He frowned, and said: "Are you still throwing up?" I shook my head no. " Let's get you into your bedroom then, I don't like you lying on this floor." He helped me into the bedroom, and I flopped down onto my bed and closed my eyes. Seeing that I was settled in, he began to leave. I heard him stop and turn, and I opened my eyes to see him paused in the doorway.

"Bells, uh…did you get that meat from the Cullen's shop?" I nodded my head weakly. "Don't you think that you should say something to them about you being sick? I mean, that their meat made you sick? I would hate to see other people getting sick too."

I faintly smiled. "I don't think you really have to worry about many people buying their meat, it was empty when I went inside. I went right after school, and no one was even in there to buy their candy." _Hmm…I wonder if it's like that every day. It was odd that no one was in there._ I looked up and noticed the disapproving look on his face. "Oh but don't worry, I will be sure to mention it to them." Sometime. Maybe after I scouted the shop out more. But not until I was feeling better, so I would have to think of something tomorrow that I could do. The thought of seeing the mysterious family, especially Edward, brought a funny feeling into my stomach. Not the feeling of being sick, but the feeling of giddiness and nervous excitement. That thought cheered me up somewhat. I looked up at Charlie and threw him a bright smile.

"What would you like to eat for dinner? Not meat though…"

_HH_


End file.
